Photographic-background carrier.



J. F. NEWELL.

PHOTOGRAPH|0 BACKGROUND CARRIER.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 660,332. Patented Oct. 23, I900.

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' No. 60,332.. Patented Oct. 23,- I900. J. F. NEWELL. PHOTOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND CARRIER.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1899.) (N0 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

YHE NORRIS PEYENE w, MYOLIYHOY WASHHQOYDM, 7) (I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. NEWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES H. SMITII,

- OF SAME PLACE.

PHOTOG RAPHlC-BACKG ROUND CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,332, dated. October 23, 1900.

Application filed January 16,1899. Serial No. 702,310. \No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. NEWELL, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic Backgrounds, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference in the different figures indicate like parts.

One of the objects of my invention is to so construct a background for photographers use that it may be easily and simply raised and lowered to any desired height; and a further object is to provide a simple and efficient means whereby any given background may be shifted or changed or one of a series substituted for another to meet the various requirements of the user, while the whole may be retained in a compact and accessible form, all of which is hereinafter more particularly described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a device embodying the features of my invention, the screen or ground proper being broken away to show the framework. Fig. Zis an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of said device. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in detail, taken upon the line 44., Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a modifled form, the screen being broken away to show the construction; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional View taken upon the line 6 6, Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a vertical rectangular frame, which is rigidly attached to the usual cross-bars or footpieoes l) b, forming a basic support therefor. Rigidly secured within the frame is a vertical bar 0, the ends of which are rigidly attached to the bottom and top horizontal bars of the frame a midway between the ends thereof. A loose sleeve d is mounted upon the vertical bar 0 so as to rotate thereon and is capable of being readily moved up and down. Said sleeve is projected through a central opening in a horizontal cross-bar e, which is somewhat 5o shorter than the space between the vertical bars of the frame a. The bar 6 is connected, by means of diagonal bracesff, with vertical bars g g, (more clearly shown. in Figs. 1 and 2,) which are arranged upon opposite sides of the central bar 0 and parallel therewith. A cross-bar h, Fig. 2, having an opening through which the vertical bar 0 is projected, serves both to support the lower ends of the bars 9 g and by engagement with the bar 0 the lower end of one supplemental frame and to guide it in its vertical movement by sliding on said bar.

Upon the lower ends of the bars 9 g are outwardly-projecting hooks or supportst'i,adapted to serve as rests for detachable back groundframes jj. Bent metal guards 76 It are rigidly attached to the ends of the horizontal bar 6 and serve as end supports to keep the frames jj in place.

Hinged clutches Z Z (better shown in Fig. a) are adapted to engage the vertical bars of the frame so as to lock the inner movable frame in the same plane therewith, but leaving the former free to be moved up and down, as hereinafter described. When the catches Z Z are thrown back or withdrawn from contact with the frame a, the inner or supplemental frame is when lowered to its normal position free to be rotated within the frame ct around the post 0, which forms its axial support, thus enabling a given ground to be shifted from one side to another without removing it from the frame.

To the sleeve d is attached a cord m, Figs. 1 and 2, which is trained over sheaves n o and connected with a Windlass p, operated by means of a crank q in connection with a ratchet-and-pawl mechanism 0'. By turning the crank the entire inner or supplemental frame, and with it the background-frames jj, may be raised until the bar 6 is brought into contact with the upper cross-bar of the frame a and there held by the ratchet or lowered to the normal position shown in Fig.1 or to any intermediate height.

The framesj may be removed from the rests and reversed, so as to present either side desired, or turned end for end, so as to conform to any given requirement, it being understood that a stretched fabric or ground .9

is placed upon both sides of each of the removable framesj, so that the movable supplemental frame serves to support four different backgrounds.

In Figs. 5 and 6 l have shown a modification of said invention in which the revoluble feature is omitted. This construction is designed for the purpose of using only a single background, and the diagonal braces fare 1nadelonger,soas toextend above the top hori- Zontal bar of the frame a, to whicliis attached a horizontal cross-bar 25, having brackets to it thereon, which serve to support an ordinary curtain-roller, upon which is mounted in the usual way a flexible screen or background n. A vertical bar 10 extends from the bottom of the diagonal braces ff to the cross-bar t, to which it is rigidly attached. The part to is fitted to slide upon one side of the bar 0, while a cross-harm, the ends of which are attached to the braces ff, is placed upon the opposite side or back of the bar 0, so as to aid in holding the vertically-movable frame in its proper relation to the stationary frame. A notch 1/, Fig. (3, is formed in the cross-bar a so as to engage the vertical guide-bar c, and thus prevent lateral movement of the frame which supports the ground. A strap .2 (indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6) serves in like manner to hold the movable frame in place at the bottom. A cord m, trained over pulleys, as herein before described, is attached, preferably, to the bottom of the supplemental frame and is operated by the winch-and-cran k mechanism to raise and lower the supplemental frame upon the central guidebaro. The advantage ofthis modification is that the curtain or background t; may be unrolled as the supplemental frame is raised, thereby enabling said background to extend from the floor to the top of the frame when the latter is raised to its extreme height. Any well-known means may be employed for rolling and unrolling the curtain.

Having; thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a photographic-background carrier, the combination with a stationary frame havinp a central vertical guide-post, of an inner revoluble supplemental frame fitted to slide up and down upon said guide-post, a suspending-cord trained over a pulley at the top of said guide-post, removably-adjustable background-frames, and means upon said suspended frame for supporting said background-frames upon opposite sides of the main frame and normally parallel therewith, whereby said supplemental frame when lowered may be rotated with the backgrounds while supported by the suspending-cord and raised to permit. the backgrounds to straddle the top of the main frame, substantially as described.

2. In a photographicbackground carrier, the combination with a stationary rectangular frame having a central vertical guide-post extending from the top to the bottom thereof, of an inner revoluble supplemental frame lit-- ted to slide 11 p and down upon said guide-post, removablyadjustable background frames, means upon said supplemental frames for su pporting said background-frames upon opposite sides of the main frame and normally parallel therewith, whereby said supplemental frames are free to be raised above the top of said main frame when parallel therewith, catches Z, suspending-cord m trained over pulleys at the top of the main frame, and a crank and Windlass for winding and unwinding said cord, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this llth day of January, 1899.

JOHN F. NEWELL.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, JAMES GRovEs. 

